Christmas Traditions Part II

Hello! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday and enjoyed some time off of work and fun with your families and friends! I cannot BELIEVE it's almost 2010...can you? Alas I am feeling inspired and motivated and totally energized for the new year to come. Stay tuned for some BIG things from F&F! I honestly cannot wait!

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In the spirit of Allegras last post, I (Emily) thought I would share a little about the new Christmas traditions we made this year in my family. It was a daunting holiday season as a newlywed, to say the least. Sharing time with two families seemed nearly impossible and, to be quite frank, didn't really excite me. Anxious and stressed that my quarter century of Christmas traditions would be ruined this year, the hus and I began the dreaded task of planning our double-holiday. In the end, even though both of our individual traditions may have been reinvented, altered, or even left out, our NEW traditions proved to be equally (if not more) special and memorable.

New Tradition #1: "Christmas Adam" and As Seen on TV + Gourmet TV Dinners!

Yes, my sisters and I coined the term Christmas Adam (the day before Christmas Eve) a LONG time ago when we thought the biblical reference to Adam and Eve was oh-so-clever. But it stuck, and December 23rd has forever been Christmas Adam in our family. Usually this day is filled with baking and wrapping and last minute decorating...and of course my dad's amazing cooking. THIS year, we decided to throw a crazy spin on Christmas Adam. We turned it into an As Seen On TV gift exchange and gourmet TV Dinner night! Everyone had to purchase a gift that had the official "as seen on tv" logo on the packaging. After the exchange we watched EVERY SINGLE infomercial on YouTube to judge who's gift earned the best and CHEESIEST infomercial award. It was hilarious! Then we dined on Salisbury Steak, green beans and mac & cheese, all compliments of my dad's fantastic chef-skills. It was like 1950's Swansons Dinners done gourmet!

This is one of the goodies I came home with:

New Tradition #2: Christmas Eve Pedicures & Starbucks Date - NO BOYS ALLOWED!

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With the addition of two guys who married into my family this year, the three-girl sister dynamic has definitely changed. In order to preserve some precious alone time and girls-only bonding, my sister Aly gifted us a pedicure and coffee date for Christmas Eve. She handed out matching candy cane flip flops from Old Navy and handmade gift certificates for our date to be had on Christmas Eve Day. This was one of my favorite gifts of all this year and the time with my mom and sisters was incredibly special to me!

New Spin on an Old Tradition #3: TisBest Charity Gift Cards from the "Philanthropy Phairy"

My family has always given back each holiday season...I'm sure you remember my post awhile back on the memories I have growing up of giving to others at Christmas. Well this year my dad found the greatest idea ever to carry on this tradition: TisBest Charity Gift Cards! He purchased a gift card for each of us, and just like any other retail gift card, we get to "shop" with any charity we like and "purchase" our donation with it! It's completely personalized and fun and really allowed each of us to choose a cause we connect with. I am LOVING this idea for future gift giving (year round!)!


Well, those were just a few of the new traditions my family created this year that I hope we carry on in the years to come. All in all, it was a lovely Christmas filled with laughter, joy, and family...and that is all I could ever ask for. I hope you enjoyed your holiday traditions this year, both old and new!